Wisdom for Ever-Changing Challenges
With the ever-changing times of this fallen world, God is stirring the hearts of many Christian parents to homeschool their children. And one thing I’ve observed with the rise in interest of homeschooling within the Christian community is that while parents want to follow their conviction to homeschool, there are many who don’t know how or where to begin in light of Scripture. Some of these parents even live in a sort of fear about how to homeschool because they don’t want to unknowingly do anything that goes against the Word of God.
Therefore, as a homeschool mom myself, one of the questions I’m most frequently asked is, “Does the Bible explicitly talk about homeschooling?” While the Bible does not actually address homeschooling per se, there are principles and applications we can draw from Scripture to help guide us on our journey should we choose to homeschool. This list is not exhaustive, but here are a few guiding principles that continuously help to guide and shape my family’s homeschool endeavors.
1. Lay Biblical Convictions
While there is abundant goodness and beauty found in homeschooling, there are also very challenging circumstances that inevitably arise within homeschooling too. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to persevere through years of homeschooling when your conviction to homeschool is rooted in trivial reasons. When you choose to homeschool, do it because you have a biblical conviction to do so; do it because you are Kingdom-minded. This is what will sustain you.
Our conviction to homeschool should stem from verses such as Ephesians 6:4 where Paul instructs fathers to bring their children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Your primary role as a parent, even in your homeschool, is to exercise your God-given responsibility to influence your children toward salvation through discipleship. When we understand our biblical role as parents then we are motivated to push forward on even the most frustrating homeschool days because we understand that our children’s souls are at stake.
Shallow and trivial reasons for homeschooling make it far too easy to throw in the towel when we’re continuously faced with the unavoidable and sometimes daunting challenges that come with homeschooling. Therefore, as Christians, we don’t choose to homeschool simply because bullies attend public schools. We don’t choose to homeschool because homeschoolers statistically score higher on standardized tests. We don’t choose to homeschool because our children have separation anxiety. We homeschool and press on because we are Kingdom-minded; we are doing Kingdom work through the discipleship of our children.
2. View Education through the Gospel Lens
Scripture tells us that wisdom is a gift from God and that knowledge and understanding come from the Word of God (Prov. 2:6). Therefore, human knowledge, apart from God, is foolishness. Yet, unfortunately, it is easy to become so fixated on skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic that we neglect the integration of a biblical worldview into the entirety of our homeschool studies. If we lead our children to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge rather than to pursue knowledge so that they might seek after and know God then we are actually leading them into foolishness.
Therefore, a Christian homeschool education does not simply entail teaching children traditional academics with a Bible class casually thrown in. Rather, a Christian homeschool education teaches children to know Scripture and to view the sum of their academics through the Gospel Lens so that they can make sense of God and His works. Teach your children reading skills and explain to them that God’s gift of reading allows them to immerse themselves in Scripture so that they may know God through His Word. Show your children in science class how God’s handiwork is seen in His intricate design of the vast universe.
Our hope is that as our children grow in their academics they will also grow in their knowledge and understanding of God, which will ultimately lead them to desire God and to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If you lead your children to acquire knowledge and education, money, prestige, etc. without the intention of leading them to know Jesus as Savior and King then ultimately everything you do in your homeschool is done in vain. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matt. 16:26).
3. Be in the Word
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of parents being in the Word. Too often I meet parents that have a fear in selecting a homeschool curriculum because of the potential to choose a curriculum that doesn’t align with Scripture. While it’s perfectly fine to ask others for advice in selecting a curriculum, the only way to know whether a curriculum aligns or goes against God’s Word is to know God’s Word yourself.
Knowing the Bible is critical for your homeschool because God commands us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” There are numerous ungodly philosophies and ideologies present in this day and age that need to be destroyed so that our children do not become imprisoned by them. Without knowledge of Scripture, you will not be able to use God’s truth to identify, confront, and correct wrong thinking in your homeschool.
We can’t allow the busyness of life, spiritual laziness, or any other reason, to become an excuse for our Bible illiteracy. You, as the parent, hold the responsibility of being the gatekeeper of your home; use the authority of Scripture to discern and decide what will be taught, what needs to be corrected, and what needs to be kept out of your homeschool. How will you know if your teachings align with the Bible? How will you know if your curriculum deviates from God’s truth? You must be ready and able to measure all things against Scripture so that you can steward your children well without leading their hearts and minds astray.
Setting Christian Homeschools Apart
So, while God’s Word does not provide us with specific commands about homeschooling, biblical principles can surely point us in a direction that is pleasing to God. As Christian homeschool parents, our homeschools should be distinct from other education systems in that we are operating under biblical principles.
Sue Yang (BS, Toccoa Falls College) received her Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education with a minor in biblical studies. She served as an educator in the public school sector for over 10 years before transitioning into homeschooling her children full time. Sue is a wife to Pastor Tswv David Yang and a mother to two beautiful daughters. She enjoys supporting her husband in his ministry at Covenant City Church in St. Paul, MN, where he serves as the Pastor of Family Ministries.
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